This is the official Blog for Tony Horton, creator of Power 90, Power Half Hour and P90X.

Saturday, January 03, 2009

You Are Going To Die!

The title of this blog is much more than a means to grab your attention. With the start of a new year it's typical for many people to establish new disciplines (temporarily), but the new year is also a reminder that time is flying at light speed, literally. With every passing nanosecond we all get a little closer to death. You know, that thing that happens to everyone. Your final day on earth, rigermortous sets in, the end. It seems to me that quite a lot of people meander through life as if death isn't coming. We act as if we have all the time in the world. We wait, hesitate, procrastinate and blow-off life altering opportunities all the time. Our goals, ideas and aspirations are put on hold for some ideal moment in the distant future. We dillydally and waist our precious time on a mishmash of nonsensical meaningless crap that consumes years of our lives. Why and for what? Most often it's because we're scared. Scared to live at our full potential. Why take the risk when you think we're going to live forever? I'm here to tell you that your life on this earth is precious and shorter than you think. Turning 50 this year proved that to me. I swear it feels like I was in high school ten minutes ago. Turns out that was over 30 years ago! As we get older change can become more daunting with every passing day. You don't have to be at midlife for this to be true. Teenagers get just as stuck as people in their 50s and 60s. I've seen people give up and thrown in the towel at all ages. We've all been an eyewitness to the tragedies of misguided lives. The hope and optimism of childhood gives way to despair and disappointment with one bad experience after another. It's the saddest thing in the world. Maybe you know what I'm talking about.

Is there hope for the fallen? Can we turn it around after years of wasting time, procrastinating, plenty of hardship and waiting for the right moment that never comes? Hell yes! The good news is that you can have the life you dreamed of as a kid without meds and therapy. Step one is moving. Turns out that it doesn't really matter how you move. What matters is that you do. Step two involves eating healthy food. Whole food that feeds the body, spirit and especially the mind. The garbage this country eats most of the time is killing us. Junk food and fast food (AKA food porn) does NOT fuel our desire to grow, learn and change. It keeps us in a state of flux and despair. If you have problems, procrastinate and feel stuck in general, odds are you're overweight, out of shape and eat junk. The deck is stacked against you if you're overweight and out of shape. Your brain can't function to solve problems properly if your feeding your mouth tons of sugar and grease. If you like a life of quite desperation then continue to spend endless hours sitting and laying around. If procrastination, sadness, depression, low self esteem and a state of malaise fits your lifestyle then continue to eat candy, cupcakes, high fructose corn syrup, fried food, saturated fats, soda pop, processed carbs, hot dogs and tons of cheese on your pepperoni pizza. Nobody gets away with making lame choices in this world. Sooner or later (turns out later comes sooner than you thought) your bad behavior will ruin your life.

Good behavior can and will save your life. Good behavior will give you the opportunity to turn misery into joy and happiness. In the end it's joy and happiness we seek. Authentic joy and happiness comes from treating ourselves and others with respect and civility. Adult toys (cars, homes, jewelry, etc), prestige, money and looks are usually a means to short term pleasures. These things feed the ego. The ego isn't real. It's your desire to create a false you to present to the world. Nothing but smoke and mirrors to make you feel better than someone else. Yuck! What is good behavior? You know exactly what it is by now. It's a matter of whether you want to practice it consistently or not. The more disciplined you are the less problems you'll have. Honestly! For real! Life will still come at you at a million miles an hour and the issues in your life will still exist, but when you exercise and eat right you create the brain chemistry of a person who can deal with issues, problems and challenges productively and happily. Other variables like proper sleep and stress management skills play a roll as well, but the foundation of "the good life" comes from the two things that make you a joyous happy human being. Exercise and healthy food. Period. The clock is ticking and your death is inevitable, so while your here why not take the first steps toward a better life. Get off the fence, ask for help, start moving, eat your veggies, enjoy the journey, enjoy the power of right now, push play and experience the life you desire and deserve.

I'm reading "Spark" by Dr Ratey and this fits right in. Thanks for spreading the word about it. Everyone should read that book! As a parent I'm learning so much about the brain's ability to learn new information and how regular aerobic exercise can enhance kids' school experience.

Here ya go, perhaps not what you were looking for. Perhaps a view that had not been considered.

II. How do we stay young and fruitful all our lives?

A. Keep learning. Acquiring new skills or knowledge stimulates our minds. Most importantly, we should continue learning more about God through studying His Word.

B. Keep loving. We are to love the Lord and other people, especially believers (Deut. 6:5: John 3:34). Individuals who are in caring relationships—whether with a spouse, friends, or family—are more likely to stay young at heart.

D. Keep leaving. Once you confess a sin or give a burden to the Lord, leave it with Him (1 Peter 5:7). Painful events from the past may come to mind, but don’t dwell on them. Those who want to be youthful can’t carry around the weight of emotional baggage.

E. Keep longing. Christians should want to reach their potential. So never stop dreaming about what the Lord may want to do through you. Allow yourself to use your imagination while prayerfully determining biblical goals for your life.

F. Keep looking. Watch to see how God is working in you and in the lives of those around you. Read His Word and expect Him to reveal spiritual truth. Pay attention to the voice of the Holy Spirit as He guides you moment by moment.

G. Keep laboring. The pattern God set for the Hebrews was six days of labor and one day of rest (Ex. 20:9). Our Maker designed us to be active. Exercising our bodies—through manual labor and other physical activity—keeps them healthy.

H. Keep leaning on your heavenly Father. Turn every burden and worry over to God. Learn to depend more and more on Him. The Christian life is impossible apart from the strength of the Holy Spirit working through us.

I. Keep your language positive. What your mouth speaks, your ear hears, your brain registers, and your body responds. People with a positive, godly attitude and a desire to obey the Lord tend to avoid much of the stress that burdens so many today.

J. Keep listening to the Lord. When you pray, don’t do all the talking. Ask the Father to guide your life each day. He knows your hidden abilities and wants to help you reach your potential. Ignore ungodly counsel and choose to follow His wisdom instead.

IV. Conclusion: The Lord desires for us to be fun-loving, life-giving people that others enjoy knowing. We can choose to grow old early or remain youthful all our days. The secret is to listen to God’s voice and obey Him in every situation

Thanks for the reminder, Tony. Eating a healthy diet of whole foods is not self-deprivation, but self-preservation. Guess it's the "food porn" that should really make us feel deprived! It's a mindset change that will become second nature with true dedication and a "no whine" policy.

Tony, you mean we're not gunna live for ever?!?!?! Shucks.....I'm 26 years young and continue to live a life of good choices and steering away from the food porn (which is a term I LOVE, by the way!).....I don't have the intention of getting old because I'm making p90x/x+/1on1s a pLIFETIMEx....you are so right--it's about making decisions to continue growing up (man what's the fun in that?!?) or growing and feeling older. So nice to see a 50 year old man not backing down from the challenge of a life of fitness. You are a role model, Tony....I hope to continue to have Tonywisdom flying into my living room when I have impressionable children to teach :) Thanks for that, Tony, your Tonywisdom!!

You know, last week on the way to getting my lunch, I watched a disgruntled and angry cab driver verbally abuse a sweet-looking young lady, whose only mistake was to pull up next to him at the wrong place and the wrong time. Well, can you say EGO??!! Why not attack the vulnerable and helpless of the world in order to prop yourself over the top? Hey, everybody's doing it, especially in this town!

I declare that we rise above the confusion and disappointment that an out-of-control ego thrives upon. You're right on when you talk about the "smoke and mirrors." WE all consistently tend to deceive ourselves every day, and why? Perhaps because of pride, envy, ego, greed and lust? In the end, it is our loving and ever-merciful creator who actually knows why, when and how long, among an infinite number of other things.

Discipline is the key, as you so correctly state. So many people I've talked to think it's the most boring part of life, but in actuality, life becomes boring and monotone without it. Discipline leads to variety, fun, action, movement, life and joy. And if that discipline is based in faith and peace, there's nowhere else to go but up, up and up.

Tony - you are THE MAN! I love your "tell it like it is" attitude. I'm sharing this one with all my friends and family who keep making excuses not to make a commitment to their fitness, and ultimately their lives!

Fantastic post!! I'm entering round 2 of P90X, and I feel great. I succumbed to the holiday food cravings, and yes... I paid the price, but just "bringing it" everyday regardless kept me from feeling too pathetic. I know the diet is key, and I absolutely will not eat crappy this round.

Anyway... I'm proud to say that I went from 61(week one) pull ups in the "Legs and Back" workout to 117 (week 12).

I'm an older grad student so good nutrition and exercise is critical to me. I can't function on a poor diet anymore. Following P90X gives me what I need to have the energy to study, and be in the best shape possible.

This post hits me profoundly. I finally got the courage to tell my best friend and her husband that they are morbidly obese and need to do something about it. My friend no longer breathes normally, and when went out, she had the hardest time getting out my car, and it's not like I drive a SMART car. I was really saddened. She's only 30 and I know her family history, and it will start catching up to her soon. I will be working with her and her husband this year to start living a healthier lifestyle, and in the process I will be incorporating P90X moves. I really don't want to see my best friends die at an early age when it can be prevented. This is a win/win situation, this experience will help me develop my coaching skills so I can start helping others. Thanks for everything! I love your sense of humor in your videos! :D-Neyda

Absolutely hits the spot for me, brother! "Most men lead lives of quiet desperation, and go to the grave with the song still in them." (attributed to Henry David Thoreau, and misquoted here for effect).

You are so right and we all need to be reminded to get back on the horse. Quiting life is like being the walking dead. I know I have been for the last 5 yrs not any more. Thank you for making a differnce.

short term pleasures. These things feed the ego. The ego isn't real. It's your desire to create a false you to present to the world. Nothing but smoke and mirrors to make you feel better than someone else. Yuck!

"...short term pleasures. These things feed the ego. The ego isn't real. It's your desire to create a false you to present to the world. Nothing but smoke and mirrors to make you feel better than someone else. Yuck!"

I really like reading your posts, Tony. I wish you would turn on RSS for them so that I could subscribe to your writing.

This post, and a few of the comments made me think of my brother and sister-in-law. They're Texans, living thousands of miles away from me, and they are both retired Army. My brother used to be one of the most achieved athletes in school, he was always the fittest, fastest, and most focused person I knew. I looked up to him, especially since I was always one of, if not THE most overweight person I knew in my age group.

I struggled with weight and the depression that it gives for most of my life, never finding that happy, healthy, fit zone, and never maintaining anything for any amount of time. I figured out that I needed to do something fast, as I'm now in my 30's, and the weight is really trying to pile itself on now. I tried doing all sorts of stuff, but the weight wouldn't go away. I was stuck at 250, I even broke a treadmill I ran so hard and so long! I used weights, did some cardio here Nd there...nothing, but I wasn't about to give up. I needed to get over the hump. So I got a hold of P90X last April and went to work. Now, I am in the best shape of my entire life, I have lost 50 pounds and have more muscle mass than ever before (that's a lot of fat gone!), I have energy, I am fit, I can climb a flight of stairs without getting winded, you know...

Well, my brother and his wife are both profoundly overweight. They are obese, and it is a real shocker considering his past. I invited him to do some workouts with me, casually encouraging him to just do ANYTHING with me, and this brought such a negative reaction, that I wondered if I had just ended the relationship with my brother by asking him if he wanted to lift with me while we were on vacation!

Ego. His ego is bruised since his fat little bro is now fitter than most people we both know, and he took up the role of the overeating, overweight, unhappy fatty. But how do you fix this?

He's living like there's no reason to be in shape, like there's nothing wrong with eating deep fried butter on a stick 6 times a day, like discipline is a foreign word, something he left behind when he left the Army. I know that Army people have a tough time when they enter civilian life, they both say it's harder, and I wonder if it's the lack of FORCED discipline. Nobody tells them they have to, they don't have to listen anymore so they don't.

I want to tell them exactly what you said in this blog, but I know if I try (again) that'll be it. There will be no more effort to get together, and my tenuous relationship with my brother, sister-in-law, and new niece will be lost and never grow.

Anyway, thanks for saying this. The bit about the ego being false is something most people never even consider, and certainly don't hear enough. You saved me, Tony, your program isn't just a workout, it's a change of life, and without it I certainly wouldn't be the man I am right now. ---Thanks

This blog entry really hit home with me because I can't function without working out. What I mean to say is that if I don't include physical activity in my daily routine the stress of the world really hits hard. I've learned over the past few years that without proper nutrition and physical activity I do suffer from depression and a short fuse and the stress of daily life often became unbearable. Now all I say is "Bring It!" Those two words together have empowered me to do whatever I've set my mind to. Plus I constantly "do my best and forget the rest" You are one awesome individual Tony! You're like a life coach really. Much appreciated and I look forward to meeting you one day at one of your Fitness Camps.

You forget the importance of making a difference in other people's lives as well - enjoying their company, helping out when you can, etc. And not taking your spouse for granted! If I hear another generalization about men I'm going to scream. My husband is a gem.

I want to say thank you for this inspiration. I started P90x last Spring and it kick-started me back into a life of fitness that I had abandoned a couple of years ago when I moved to NYC and took a stressful job.

I am a former college athlete and when I didn't "have to be" at practice in the early AM my fitness fell off and I gained about 35 pounds.

Since the spring I have dropped 22 pounds and am much healthier. Most importantly though, I want to thank you for your message above. It is true!!

I lost a dear friend to suicide in November at the age of 28. Since then I have realized that life is so precious not to feel good or do what you love. Your words above reminded me that through my sorrow I need to keep myself on the track for 2009 and beyond.

I love feeling alive, breaking a sweat and knowing when my head hits the pillow at night that I have made the most of my days. I am working on that each day. It is not easy but I am working at it.

Sorry for the ramble! Thanks again for the words and getting the sweat going.

Nice thoughts man. You hit it on the head - we wait for the perfect moment, and that moment never comes.

A videographer I listened to summed up video rendering as this: "perfection is the enemy".

To me, this really applies well to life. We should work to be the best we can, but we must not wait for the stars to be "aligned" before we feel compelled to act. I feel fortunate that I learned this from others while I still have my health in tact.

Also - nice quote on fast food. I worked for McDonalds during high school and college. I gained 50 lbs during the course of my employment - much in part due to the free soda and food porn I ate during my shifts. I became addicted and sought such food for comfort. Today, I literally shudder at the thought of just how much sugar I consumed in a day. I cannot believe I did not develop Type II diabetes.

I've broken from that food porn grip and have shed those pounds through better eating and working out (P90 rocks - look forward to graduating to P90X).

Keep up the great work Tony. Your workouts and insight have transformed by life!

I want to thank you for the inspiration you bring every time I turn on my P90 dvd's. I not only have changed my life around but have been blogging about it for a while and trying to get others to do the same. Thanks for the encouragement. I had someone try and convince me of a new workout program and I told them I would feel like I was cheating on you. My husband and I love spending the time with you each day in our gym. Thanks again!

Tony, I want to thank you for just being yourself. It obious to me that being in shape and helping others is just who you are. For most of my life I fought to be in good shape. I had it for about 4 years and lost if after I had some surgery to fill in a growth on my tibia. I did exactly what you said, I threw in the towl after the surgery because I couldn't run (I ran for fun and it kept me in shape). After that I feel hard and have put on over 50 pounds. The only thing that was holding my life together was the relationship I had with my girlfriend of 5 years. Finally one night we were talking about a lot of life altering decision we need to make, marriage, carrers, location, and fitness came up because we both saw the P90X informercial. I've seen a lot of gimmicks over the past couple years but I knew your program was for real when I noticed you promise results if people put in the effort. I realized my life needing more effort on my part, I need to start saving my money for marriage, pursuing a new career, and get my fat butt back in shape. I'm on week 2 of the P90X program. I might have bitten off more then I should have in doign P90X while being so overweight but I'm not normally a quitter and I decided I really wanted a challenge. Thanks again for all your encouragement and for just being yourself.

I am new to your blog-but proud to say that I am in my 7th week of P90X. I have 2 kids and started out at 142 (5"4) and I am already down to 122 lbs. Your program has not only got me back to pre preggo weight, but taught me a whole new outlook on life in general. I know after this program I will continue the lifestyle changes I have learned, and I thank you for that! BTW-my kids are 6 and 8 months, and because they see mommy doing yoga alot, they both know how to do a mean downword dog. Yes-even my 8 month old! Check out my blog sometime-love to read a comment!

Tony,Just stumbled on your blog and am extremly glad I did. I'm in week two of P90X and have found myself getting up with an energy and outlook that I haven't found in years. After I was diagnosed with a severe seizure disorder and had to take disability, I found myself in quite a depression and gave up alot of the physical exercise I have enjoyed in my life. All for fear of having a seizure in public. Showing up and pushing play have not only made me sweat, but laugh and smile at the same time. You make it not only enjoyable, but you make people realize that its ok if your not the best. Everytime I want to reach for the "food porn" I can hear your voice telling me not to grab the junk that you talk about during water breaks. Thank you so much Tony!! You have no idea how much you effect peoples lives on a daily basis in so many ways..

Just remeber NO food is our enemy there is no "good food" there is no "bad food". Everything is about moderation and disipline, so please enjoy your meals and your lives, just do it in away that is healthy and good for YOU.

Also keep in mind not everybody is gonna want to excercise and get thin or ripped, that's okay, if you have a friend or love one that you're worried about then why not invite them out for a walk (shopping burns calories ladies), but just remember nobody likes a nag.

You made the decison that was right for you and ultimatly they will have to too.

I would like you to know How much you've encouraged me to become a better human, not only physically but mentally.

I'm a 20 year old College student in Puerto Rico. I used to go to the Gym since I was 13 years old to keep from becoming chubbier and chubbier, I was never the fittest but never the fattest, I was just Chubby... after some years, my studies in High School and a change in my ways of life I became anonymous to myself, I stopped attending the Gyms, I ate whatever, whenever, however (mostly Fatty foods and junk) and became a desk potato. I lost weight and became as skinny as skinny can get (weak, I lost much of my muscle mass I gained durring my previous years), I started to have gastric problems, not severe but it took mental peace out of me (not that i had any), I stopped drinking sodas (all types) and ate a wee bit healthier, but compared to my state of humanship i was just a skinny weakling student trying tu survive senior year. After such senior year I started attending College and my focus went mostly to my studies and my family which always went the opposing way for they looove to excercise and train. I tried quite sometimes to become that disciplined trainee i was but failed miserably, i was poorly encouraged and although i gain some muscle mass I started tumbling down the ways toward Chubbyness and thats when my lovely girlfriend started to support me and help me find something to become that fit guy I once was. In the hunt for programs and gyms and whatever really worked we found ourselves gazing at your Infomercials of P90X and likenesses and your way of working encouraged us to become better everyday (Btw, she loves Yoga X!!) and at this height I thank you, although beginner still, we have to THANK YOU for your knowledge and becoming such a great encouragement!

i am in my 5th round of p90x. it's changed my life. thanks Tony for giving me the opportunity. your blog is right on... either you do it or you don't... but do something then every day do a little more. one day at a time and you can't help but succeed. Little gains add up before you know it you won't recognize your self and you will be looking in the mirror with awe and self confidence you never though you could have. I am 48 yrs old and if I never win a million dollars, I couldn't be happier or more proud of what I have accomplished. It's the personal challenge that makes you feel so good.

Thank you for some other informative website.Where else could I get that type of information written in such an ideal means? I have a project that I'm just now running on, and I have been at the look out for such info.

Greetings from Colorado! I'm bored to tears at work so I decided to check out your site on my iphone during lunch break. I love the information you provide here and can't wait to take a look when I get home. I'm amazed at how quick your blog loaded on my phone .. I'm not even using WIFI,just 3G .. Anyways, wonderful site!

obviously like your website but you have to check the spelling on quite a few of your posts. Several of them are rife with spelling issues and I find it very troublesome to inform the truth on the other hand I will definitely come back again.

Do you mind if I quote a few of your articles as long as I provide credit and sources back to your site?My website is in the exact same area of interest as yours and my users would definitely benefit from a lot of the information you present here.Please let me know if this ok with you. Thank you!

Please let me know if you're looking for a writer for your weblog. You have some really good posts and I think I would be a good asset. If you ever want to take some of the load off, I'd love to write some content for your blog in exchange for a link back to mine.Please blast me an email if interested. Thank you!

Do you have a spam problem on this site; I also am a blogger, and I was wondering your situation; we have developed some nice methods and we are looking to swap techniques with other folks, why not shoot me an e-mail if interested.

I tend not to leave a leave a response, but after looking at a lot of remarks on this page "You Are Going To Die!". I do have a couple of questions for you if you do not mind.Could it be only me or does it look like a few of these responses appear like they are written by brain dead people?:-P And, if you are writing on other places, I would like to follow everything new you have to post. Would you post a list of the complete urls of all your public pages like your twitter feed, Facebook page or linkedin profile?

Hi there! I could have sworn I've been to this website before but after reading through some of the post I realized it's new to me.Anyways, I'm definitely glad I found it and I'll be bookmarking and checking back frequently!

My prоgrаmmeг is trying tο persuade me to move tο .nеt from PΗP. Ӏ have alωаys dіsliked the іdеа because of the cοsts.

But he's tryiong none the less. I've beеn usіng WοrdPreѕs on a number of websitеs foг abоut a yeаr аnd am nerνοus аbout swіtching to аnоther platfоrm.І hаve heard good things аbout blogenginе.net. Is there a ωаy I cаn imрort all my wοrdpress poѕts іnto it?Anу κind of help would be really apprecіаtеd!

I do consider аll thе conceρts you have offered for yоur pοst. Thеу are гeally convincing and ωіll cеrtainly ωоrk.Still, the poѕts are tоo short for noѵіces.Ϲoulԁ you pleasе extеnd them a bit from ѕubsequent time? Thanks fоr the post.

May I simрly say ωhat a comfоrt to diѕcover sоmeone that gеnuinely unԁerѕtandѕ ωhаt thеy're talking about over the internet. You actually know how to bring a problem to light and make it important. More people must check this out and understand this side of the story. It'ѕ suгprіsing you аrе not moгe pοpular givеn that you ѕurely possеѕs the gift.